UT merger would add medical school to Rio Grande Valley

By Jennifer R. Lloyd

Updated 7:53 am, Friday, December 7, 2012

AUSTIN - The University of Texas System regents unanimously approved plans Thursday to consolidate two universities in the Rio Grande Valley, creating a university that would include a long-sought medical school.

The regents authorized UT Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa to seek legislative approval for the new university and also allocated $100 million over the next decade to speed the path toward a future medical school.

The new institution would combine UT-Pan American in Edinburg, UT-Brownsville and the Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen, operated by the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Though a timeline for the university's launch has not been announced because it requires legislative approval, it would enroll nearly 28,000 students and employ almost 1,500 faculty members, Cigarroa said.

Larger UT presence

"We have all shared a vision of planting a larger UT flag in South Texas and the Valley," Cigarroa said. "If we do not do this correctly, Texas will certainly suffer."

As of this fall, UTPA enrolled about 19,300 students and employed about 830 faculty members, school officials said. UTB enrolled about 13,000 students and employed 395 faculty members, though those figures include a partnership with Texas Southmost College that is being dissolved.

In addition to the two university campuses, the medical school would be in Harlingen and the university's administration would be based in McAllen, said Cigarroa.

The move would not require additional state funding and eventually could reap annual savings of $6 million through greater efficiencies, UT officials said.

Lucy Nashed, a spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry, said in a statement that the "innovative merger will enhance educational opportunities in this growing region of the state while lowering administrative costs."

Valley students gain

The new school would be eligible for revenue from a public endowment called the Permanent University Fund, which UTPA and UTB cannot receive, officials said.

Elizabeth Heise, an assistant environmental science professor and faculty senate president at UTB, praised plans to allow Valley students to study at an emerging research university without having to leave the region.

"The devil is going to be in the details, making sure that we take steps that are going to be appropriate and do no harm is the trick," Heise said.

A vote by two-thirds of the Texas Legislature is required to approve the creation of the school, and Rio Grande Valley counties might need to join in the creation of a taxing district to support expanding medical education there.